<p>Stillnadine,</p>
<p>My heart breaks for you and your family. Cancer is so scary on its own, throw in unemployment and financial situations, you have a lot on your plate. I would explore other options for scholarships and grants as well, I would hate for your D to take on debt, but would also hate to see her not attend a college that she would flourish at…so hard.</p>
<p>Stillnadine: I wish you and your husband and family all the best. Maybe Guilford’s financial aid office can be accomodating. Are there any alternatives to Guilford that might be more affordable and offer a comparable education and experience? UNC-Asheville comes to mind as a similarly ranked LAC in NC that might work but is public and possibly more affordable. [Financial</a> Aid | UNC Asheville :: North Carolina?s Public Liberal Arts University](<a href=“http://www.unca.edu/financialaid/]Financial”>Financial Aid, Grants, and Scholarships - UNC Asheville)</p>
<p>Stillnadine,
I am sorry for what your family is going through. I agree you or your husband should contact Guilford and make them aware of your situation. At the end of my 2nd yr of college my single Mom was helping me pack up my apartment and drive 3 hrs home, she made it 10 minutes from home (we were in separate cars, pre-cell phones) and ended up in the emergency room. </p>
<p>She had a rare tumor on her heart and needed open heart surgery. While waiting for the surgery my financial aid package came and she insisted on seeing it in her hospital room. I was going to have to take out loans to go back and we were unsure if we could come up with the rest. She called the school from the hospital and my aid was adjusted and wonderful for the next two yrs. That was in the early 1990s and my Mom is healthy and getting ready for her 80th birthday soon.</p>
<p>I wish your husband a full recovery and your family clarity and peace with regard to whatever decision is made regarding college.</p>
<p>stillnadine - oh my goodness, I am so very sorry to hear of your husbands illness and job situation. This must be so stressful and difficult to deal with. I second the suggestion to contact Guiford and see what else they can do, given the very extenuating circumstances. I would also wait a few more weeks before making a decision, you have until May 1, right? Perhaps between now and then more will be known regarding your husband’s health and job issues that will make the decision clearer. Do you have any family support? Grandparents that might be willing to contribute to make Guilford a possibility? </p>
<p>I’m assuming your daughter is fully aware of the financial situation and her father’s health - what does she say? How does she view Winthrop? Is her heart set on Guilford? Please keep us posted. I am really hoping you can find a way to send her to Guilford without undue financial stress.</p>
<p>I don’t know much about the “Society of Friends,” the Quakers, but I bet they would be sympathetic to your plight, SNadine. Sending positive thoughts your way on the health and well being of your husband and family.</p>
<p>stillnadine - just wanted to let you know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.</p>
<p>You are all so wonderful. Thank you for your kind words. </p>
<p>Thank you for suggesting we talk with Guilford. I was wondering if colleges would be open to talking with us. Do you think my DD should be the one to approach them? Or should I? She has spoken to her admissions rep a number of times. (Her rep actually delivered her acceptance letter to her, at school.)</p>
<p>I would suggest both. Perhaps she can contact the admissions rep with a brief summary of the situation, and ask for a contact in the FA office. The admissions rep could perhaps let the FA contact know that you will be in touch. I would then suggest you, as the parent with the complete knowledge of the financial and health situations, call the FA contact to discuss the situation in detail. Financial aid offices have a procedure available to them known as “professional judgment”. This means they can go above and beyond the regular FA formulas they use for a situation with extenuating circumstances. You have nothing to lose by giving it a try. Please let us know how it goes.</p>
<p>Stillnadine: I am so sorry to hear about you situation. I wanted to add that a few years ago I had a similar dilemma for my older son,not nearly as compelling a story but he was admitted to a school that was wonderful for him that we really could not afford based on the initial price including his financial aid package. A discussion with the dean of financial aid that I had literally during the last minutes of the admitted students weekend opened the door to make it possible for him to attend. Having a frank discussion with the folks in financial aid can sometimes open the door. It is particularly effective if you can speak directly to someone who has real discretion about making these decisions. I hope it works for you and your daughter. </p>
<p>On the flip side of this as we were going through it my S knew our situation, knew that we wanted to make it work for him but also knew that it might not work out. I know he was prepared for the plan B if we had to go that way. So the only other thing I can suggest is that you keep the line of communication open with your daughter and give her the opportunity to come up with ideas to make the situation work and that she understand if going to Guilford isn’t doable. It also helps that she knows how proud you are of her. It is heartwrenching when we can’t allow our kids to obtain the rewards they have earned but no doubt she gets it and understands.</p>
<p>All the best to you and your family and your husband’s health.</p>
<p>Just wanted to chime in with some good news, another acceptance for DS - Adelphi. No $, though. Acceptance letter said he would be separately evaluated for their Learning Resources program, which is free if meet LD requirements.</p>
<p>Stillnadine,</p>
<p>Just want to send good thoughts your way. The advice above is good. You don’t need more. Best…</p>
<p>Pkdof13 - that’s great news! Congratulations.</p>
<p>Just to add one thing to the suggestion to talk to the Financial Aid office. Not sure how far away the school is, but I remember reading that if at all possible, make an appointment to speak with someone in person. (Hopefully a higher up that has true deciding power on the situation). Good Luck - Fingers Crossed!</p>
<p>Stillnadine…wishing you the best and a good outcome with everything. </p>
<p>On a happy note, DS landed in Israel at about midnight (our time). The adventure begins! He texted me this morning that they were in Tel Aviv and were leaving for the hotel in Jerusalem. Oh to be 21 again!</p>
<p>Pkdof13
Congratulations on the Adelphi acceptance!</p>
<p>PDK: Congrats on your son’s acceptance. My newphew gets academic support at his college, and it has helped him a lot.</p>
<p>Jozuko: Glad to hear that your son arrived safely. I’m sure he’ll have a great trip.</p>
<p>Jozuko!</p>
<p>Glad to hear S has arrived safely. Our S has been there since Thursday and he is able to email me with no problems. They have toured the whole Northern part of the country so far, up to the Golan Heights, Tzfat (an artist colony), and over to Haifa. Next comes Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and of course, Masada.</p>
<p>This really is a wonderful opportunity for our kids. A few of our friends asked if they could go. They’re not Jewish! They wish some of their “mother” countries had similar programs, like Ireland or Italy. </p>
<p>Pkd: Congrats on Adelphi acceptance. You may want to pm with Emmybet, who’s D is there now. I think a sophomore. I have friends who live in Garden City, where Adelphi is located, and we toured the campus when we visited them. It’s a pretty campus in a nice town and only a 40 minute train ride to NYC, I believe.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the congrats, and thanks chocchip for the suggestion and info.</p>
<p>My ears were burning, so I guess it’s good I checked this thread.</p>
<p>Congrats on Adelphi! My D is having a terrific experience there. I’m very sorry about the fin aid, though. My impression is that they are very generous with high B students with good test scores (ACT over 25, for instance). I hope he gets a better offer at his other schools or that if he is really interested in Adelphi they might sweeten the pot a bit. Its COA is significantly lower than many other private universities, at least ($40K vs. $60K). You are welcome to PM me. What is he interested in studying?</p>
<p>Mine has called from wet, rainy Israel. She is having a blast, loves the kids and everything is wonderful! They were in jeeps in the rain, couldn’t go on the hike and tomorrow has lots of alternatives for weather. It’s supposed to snow!</p>